1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus and method and, more particularly, to a display apparatus and method in which two image display means (e.g., liquid crystal panels) having a desired aspect ratio are used to display a plurality of types of images having different aspect ratios in the entire display regions of the image display means.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, an image of the NTSC or PAL system has an aspect ratio of 4:3. The screen of a display apparatus also has an aspect ratio of 4:3, as shown in FIG. 1A. In recent years, however, the HDTV (High-Definition TeleVision) system has been put into practice, and HDTV display apparatuses have been widespread. The screen of an HDTV display apparatus has an aspect ratio of 16:9, as shown in FIG. 1B. Along with this tendency, the aspect ratio of a display apparatus other than the HDTV display apparatus also becomes 16:9 to enhance extensity.
However, the HDTV display apparatus is still expensive. Additionally, the conventional display apparatus has a fixed aspect ratio. For this reason, when an HDTV image is to be displayed on the conventional display apparatus having an aspect ratio of 4:3, the image is displayed in only part of the screen because of a difference in aspect ratio, as shown in FIG. 1C, resulting in unnatural display.
To the contrary, when an image having an aspect of 4:3 is displayed on the display apparatus having an aspect ratio of 16:9, portions where no image is displayed are formed on the left and right sides of the screen, as shown in FIG. 1D. The image is displayed in only part of the screen, resulting in unnatural display.
Additionally, since only part of the screen is used for display, the image quality such as the resolution and sharpness of the displayed image is also sometimes adversely affected.
It is, of course, possible to use the entire screen for display. In this case, however, the to-be-displayed image is partially excluded from the screen, and the display content cannot be displayed, posing a problem except for special applications.